I’m not sure I know what I thought would happen when the clock struck midnight at the turn of the century. Several things can be counted on to happen every year-I kiss my wife, propose a toast, think, "there goes another one," and imagine the New Year. But this was to be a special year. It was the end of the 1900’s and the beginning of a brand new century.

It’s not that I wanted any surprises, certainly no Y2K glitches. I felt pretty confident that I had covered my bases there. At least those on whom I rely heavily left me confident that there would be none. Surely the power wouldn’t fail or the telephone systems overload. So with a certain amount of trepidation I watched the world welcome the New Year and was reminded of ‘the wave’ at our favorite sports event. Sydney, Singapore, New Delhi, Paris, London, and Atlanta each jumped for joy as the clock struck midnight. Nothing more happened! The beginning of the Year 2000 became a slash mark on all the timelines of history.

So is that all there is to turning a century? It’s not that I was disappointed. On the contrary, I hoped there would be no catastrophic events. It’s just that I kept thinking something huge should happen. Then I realized that it isn’t what happens at a specific moment in time that makes something meaningful. It is the planning, the excitement leading up to the critical time, the moment of truth or completion, the celebration, and the reflection on the whole process that are each as critical to the whole as any one individual part. It wasn’t just the stroke of midnight that made moving into 2000 so special. That was only one part of the whole.

We’re more than halfway through the Georgia Chapter’s fiscal year. With the indicators from the national office of HFMA, the Georgia Chapter was number two in the nation for education hours at the end of December. Are you making each part of the process count for you? There are a lot of people working and trying to make a difference as indicated by our education hours. Have you been recognized for your contribution, and is your effort worthy of recognition? At the Winter Institute in Atlanta, show those "You Make A Difference" pins on your lapel, and we’ll get an idea of just how many people are involved to make this an important year for the Chapter. Wear them to the Teams meeting, the educational sessions and the social events, and focus on this part of the whole. Get started on your outlines for the Yeager Award submissions, because we certainly want to have a big celebration at the end of the year. We want to be number one, and by meeting the needs of our members, we will be, through "your" commitment to "making a difference."

Alexis A. Klamke

President

Tift General Hospital - A Small Town Medical Center Meeting Regional Health Care Needs

By Chris Efaw, Tift General Hospital

Many health care industry observers say a medical facility like Tift General Hospital (TGH) belongs in a large Atlanta suburb, not a small south-Georgia community. With over 190 beds and a wide array of outpatient services, TGH does not fit the profile of a typical rural hospital. Cradled in the heart of the Coastal Plain, TGH is situated in Tifton, a small Sunbelt town that supports a population of approximately 40,000 from surrounding Tift County. On a map, Tifton can be found approximately 180 miles south of Atlanta on Interstate 75.

With some of the richest farmland in the entire nation, agriculture is a way of life in Tifton. Vegetables and hay are some of the major crops. Known as the "Turf Capital of the World," much of the special-hybrid grass found at major ballparks and golf courses are grown in Tifton. With the Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College and the Agrirama Living History Center, Tifton can be considered the agricultural center of Georgia. To take a snapshot of rural communities from around the country that are similar to Tifton, a hospital the size and scope of TGH is not usually found in the picture.

With a reputation as an innovative provider of quality health care, Tift General Hospital is a 191-bed acute care medical facility that serves as the regional referral center for all of south central Georgia. The medical staff includes more than 95 physicians with expertise in more than 25 specialties.

"Medical centers like TGH are normally unheard of in rural communities," said Rick Sheerin, Chief Financial Officer and HFMA member. "Yet, we have a progressive community that realizes that we must extend our services beyond the borders of our county and serve the health-care needs of surrounding areas."

Sheerin said that only 50 percent of the hospital’s patients are from Tift County. The other 50 percent are from 11 other counties in the region. To support this vast service area, TGH offers a full-range of services, including a 24-hour emergency department and an after-hours medical clinic for non-urgent care. The Elene Dorminy Women’s Pavilion features single rooms, home-like maternity care, a level II nursery and a separate wing for women’s surgery. A comprehensive day surgery facility has a centralized pre-surgical testing area and its own family waiting area.

In addition, TGH offers specialized care in rehabilitation, occupational health, neurodiagnostics, cardiovascular health and more. In September 1998, the brand new Oncology Center opened to serve area cancer patients. In March 1999, TGH introduced the Transitional Care Center, a new 15-bed skilled nursing unit. Most recently, the hospital acquired south Georgia’s first GE Lightspeed CT Scanner, a revolutionary new medical imaging system that is normally reserved for academic centers.

"We have several new projects on the drawing board as well," said Sheerin. "This includes a new heart center, breast care center, an expansion to our cancer treatment facility and renovations of our surgical suites."

The staff at Tift General Hospital is also devoted to keeping the surrounding community healthy with various outreach medical clinics, wellness programs and health education services. There’s the Tift Community Health Center, HealthQuest Community Lecture Series, HealthPlus multi-specialty clinics, Diabetes Learning Center, Baby Talk prenatal classes, On Health magazine and numerous health fairs and free screenings held throughout the year.

TGH is under the direction of a county hospital authority but operates without a single tax levied on local residents. "That really makes us unique," said Sheerin. "Unlike many not-for-profit hospitals, Tift General receives no financial support from local government while still providing charitable care for the community. Our operating expenses are completely underwritten by the medical services we provide."

Sheerin said that TGH has over 800 employees, making it Tift County’s single largest employer and health care provider with a local economic impact of $100 million. TGH’s main building, which is over 262,059 square feet in size, is situated in a campus setting with many satellite offices, services and departments.

President/CEO William T. Richardson, FACHE said that TGH has recruited physician specialists that normally practice in places like Atlanta or Augusta. The medical staff includes a wide array of primary care and medical specialties, ranging from cardiology to family practice to neurology.

"We are proud to claim south Georgia’s only pediatric cardiologist," said Richardson. "We also have one of only two pediatric orthopedic surgeons in all of south Georgia and north Florida."

Before, when residents from the Tifton area required specialized procedures, their only option was to travel out-of-town to cities like Atlanta, Tallahassee or Jacksonville. Now, many of TGH’s specialists offer unique services near home.

"We recently introduced corrective surgery for scoliosis, advanced airway stenting for lung cancer and brachytherapy for prostate cancer," said Richardson. "Our catheterization lab is also utilizing new collagen plug technology to get heart patients back-on-their-feet quickly after a cardiac catheterization procedure."

TGH is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is a member of the American Hospital Association, Georgia Hospital Association, Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals and Premier, Inc. In addition, Tift General Hospital is an affiliate of Emory Health Care and its statewide managed care program.

The hospital is also the driving force behind a unique, Tifton-based managed care program called South Georgia Health Partners (SGHP). This physician hospital organization (PHO) teams TGH with three other south Georgia hospitals and over 350 physicians from the region to provide a preferred provider network to self-insured or partially self-insured employers. This network of medical professionals, serving 23 Georgia and three Florida counties, allows employers to contract with one entity to provide their employees with a broad array of health care services. The organization has over 30,000 covered lives and is going strong.

"South Georgia Health Partners pools resources to centralize medical management, standardize services and form integrated networks to promote economies of scale," said Richardson. "This means flexible benefit plans that offer competitive costs and global package pricing for tertiary services such as heart surgery, transplants and neonatal care."

Recently, SGHP rolled out the country’s first provider sponsored organization (PSO) called PartnersChoice. Hailed as a national model, PartnersChoice eliminates the insurance company as a middleman by assuming the financial risk of health care coverage for area employers.

After PartnersChoice was approved by Georgia insurance commissioner John Oxendine in 1996, a health system in Danville, Virginia contacted Tift General about starting a similar PSO of their own. Richardson and SGHP president Dr. Sammie Dixon (who is also TGH’s vice president of medical affairs), traveled to the Danville hospital’s staff retreat to discuss the concept of PartnersChoice.

Also speaking at the retreat was Dr. Paul Ellwood, a nationally-known health care reformer who is credited with coining the term HMO.

Richardson said it was an honor sharing the stage with someone of Ellwood’s caliber, but PartnersChoice does differ from the HMO concept. "The biggest distinction between our PSO and an

HMO is that clinical decisions are made by local medical personnel and not by a bureaucratic entity from out-of-state," said Richardson.

Tift General’s managed care involvement was one of the reasons the Georgia Alliance of Community Hospitals (GACH) named TGH "1998 Hospital of the Year" for hospitals with 150 beds or more. Representing over 70 not-for-profit hospitals in Georgia, GACH presented the award to TGH based on the hospital’s numerous achievements during 1997-98 that improved access to direct patient care for the region. Alliance Chairman Franklin M. Rinker praised Tift General Hospital for its dedication "to being the regional referral center for all of south central Georgia."

The Georgia Hospital Association also honored Tift County Hospital Authority Chairman John B. Prince, III with the GHA Distinguished Service Award for 1998. Prince has served on the Hospital Authority for over 23 years and has been instrumental in making Tift General Hospital into a first-class regional medical center, according to Richardson. "Under his direction, Tift General Hospital has adopted new and innovative methods of meeting the health care needs of the region," said Richardson. "His recognition was truly overdue."

Sheerin said it’s not hard to figure out why a small town like Tifton supports a regional health care facility like Tift General. It simply boils down to civic pride.

"Businesses and residents come to Tifton because the progressive community is centralized to Atlanta and Florida and is able to sustain its small town charm," said Sheerin.

Tifton was named one of the best places to live by Norman Crampton in his bestselling book The Top 100 Best Small Towns in America. Tifton also received the "The Cleanest Community in America," and is very active in historical restoration, fine arts and higher learning.

In addition to agriculture, Tifton is diverse with service industries and national manufacturing plants that produce a wide range of products, including textiles, processed foods, farm implements, aluminum, automotive supplies, boats and refrigeration. This south Georgia town is also home to many distribution and support centers for national companies, such as Target and Wal-Mart.

MedChoice is Tift General’s after-hours medical clinic. When doctor’s offices are closed on evenings and weekends, MedChoice is open as an alternative to the Emergency Room for non-urgent care.

"There’s a reason why we don’t redirect visitors to other counties for quality goods and services when they are available here in Tift County," said Sheerin. "We take pride in our businesses, schools, churches, civic groups and community organizations. And we certainly take pride in our delivery of health care."

Richardson agrees. "The overwhelming support that Tift General receives each and every day is a testimony to how important local, quality health care is to the citizens of this community," he said. "This upward spirit really has carried TGH to new heights."

BACK TO THE WINTER 2000 GEORGIA SCROLL TABLE OF CONTENTS

HFMA recognizes that its strength lies in volunteers, who contribute their time, ideas, and energy to serve the healthcare industry. The Founders Merit Award Series Program (Founders) was established in 1960 in order to acknowledge the contributions made by individual HFMA members. These awards are part of a merit rating plan in which specific activities are assigned a range of point values.

The Follmer Bronze Award is awarded to a member who has earned 100 Founders points. The Reeves Silver Award is awarded to a member who has earned a total of 200 Founders points, and the Muncie Gold Award is given to a member who has earned 300 total Founders points. A fourth award, the Founders Medal of Honor, was added in 1986 and is conferred by nomination of the Chapter Board of Directors. In order to be eligible for this most prestigious Founders award, an individual must meet the following criteria: 1) is currently a member of good standing; 2) earned the Muncie Gold award at least three years ago; 3) has provided significant service at the chapter and/or national level in a least two of the past three years.

HFMA encourages continuous active participation at the local and national levels. Therefore, the point system and award levels have been established to promote continuous active participation in HFMA. The point system permits only 40 points per fiscal year to be allotted to the Founders Merit Award Series with no carryover.

Points earned by members during the prior fiscal year are reported by the chapter’s Founders Contact to HFMA National by the tenth of August each year. Member points are totaled and awards are ordered accordingly. Although HFMA National and the chapters track most member points, it is ultimately the responsibility of each member to report points earned to the chapters Founders Contact, who serves as a liaison to HFMA National.

Member points are automatically transferred from one chapter to another. Retroactive scoring of points for all categories is permissible if appropriate documentation is provided. However, no points are earned for serving terms of office for less than six months for any category; services a member is paid to perform; or for chapter participation prior to HFMA membership.

Founders points are also used when applying for and maintaining HFMA certification. Please contact the chapters Certification Contact for additional information.

Get involved! HFMA provides members with numerous opportunities for professional development, information, networking, and advocacy.

Below is a partial listing of the categories and examples of points earned in the respective category. Please contact the chapters Founders Contact for additional information.